TLTP
\nLONDON
\nIran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps should be classified as a terrorist organisation by the UK for the violence it perpetuates across the Gulf region, a report said.
\nTehran\u2019s flouting of its nuclear deal with the West should also lead to the agreement being renegotiated with tougher penalties for breaches, the British parliament\u2019s foreign affairs committee said.
\nThe call for action came as legal action was considered by the US, UK and others to try to pierce the veil around the funding of Hezbollah, an Iran-backed terrorist group.
\nThe parliamentary committee condemned Iran\u2019s human rights record and the tactic of state-sponsored hostage taking, using victims as pawns in international negotiations.
\nThe violent actions of the IRGC meet the \u201ccriteria for proscription in the Terrorism Act 2000, due to its clear and enduring support for terrorists and non-state actors working to undermine stability in the region\u201d, MPs said.
\nThey called on the British government to push legislation through parliament next month to proscribe the IRGC, as the US did last year.
\n\u201cThe IRGC\u2019s philosophy and malign actions within Iran and across the region run counter to the interests of the UK and those of the Iranian people,\u201d the report said.
\nCommittee chairman Tom Tugendhat said this was a logical step in a response to the IRGC\u2019s \u201cbankrolling and bolstering of terrorism\u201d.
\n\u201cThe group\u2019s destructive philosophy and violence within Iran and across the region make a compelling case for it to be singled out for sanction,\u201d Mr Tugendhat said.
\nThe failure to prohibit Iran from developing ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads was a significant omission in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed in 2015.
\n\u201cIt is entirely reasonable that the JCPOA should place a binding restriction on Iran from developing such missiles,\u201d said the report, which was compiled by MPs from all parties.
\nTougher penalties should also be introduced to encourage behaviour change and force Iran to allow International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors into civilian and military sites, given the \u201clack of good faith it has shown\u201d.
\nWhile the nuclear deal was described as imperfect, it should not be jettisoned until a new agreement is negotiated, and the MPs recommended that Britain takes the lead in inviting the US back into the deal when Joe Biden is US president.
\nBritish Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab should then seek a broader agreement that ensures Iran does not have missiles with nuclear capability, and allows IAEA inspection of undeclared nuclear sites and for an immediate snapback of sanctions if Iran fails to comply.
\nThe Gulf region\u2019s security issues should also be addressed, to build regional and international consensus on how to meet the challenges posed by Iran\u2019s destabilising activity, the report said.
\n\u201cDespite good intentions, the JCPOA was an agreement built on weak foundations,\u201d Mr Tugendhat said.
\n\u201cThe slow death of the nuclear deal seems to have been inevitable and … it now appears beyond repair.\u201d
\nThe British government also had to acknowledge the Iranian state\u2019s practice of \u201carbitrarily detaining nationals that amounted to state hostage-taking\u201d.
\nBritain should take the lead in \u201ccalling it out for what it is\u201d and shape a united international response to end the tactic.
\n\u201cThe charges, trials and convictions of British citizens on Iranian soil are a parody of a justice system,\u201d Mr Tugendhat said.
\n\u201cUsing young mothers and retirees as bargaining chips and leverage is an unacceptable form of diplomacy.\u201d He also criticised the UK Foreign Office for a lacklustre response to the hostage-taking.
\nThe report highlighted Iran\u2019s disregard for human rights and criticised the treatment of staff and families who work for BBC Persia in Iran. \u201cThe Iranian people are the victims of the poor choices made by the Iranian state, yet they are too often a secondary consideration,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TLTP LONDON Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps should be classified as a terrorist organisation by the UK for the violence it perpetuates across the Gulf region, a report said. Tehran\u2019s flouting of its nuclear deal with the West should also lead to the agreement being renegotiated with tougher penalties for breaches, the British parliament\u2019s foreign […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-162543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n